Norman, The Scooter-Driving Dog, Seeks World Record

CANTON, Ga. (WXIA) -- If you spend any time with Norman, the 3-year-old French sheepdog, you will see some strange things.

The dog with the human name does human things.

He puts his dirty dishes in the dishwasher. He opens the fridge to grab a snack. He drinks from his water bowl (like a dog), but then wipes his mouth neatly on a towel (like a human).

He also rides a bicycle. Like a human.

And yet, the fact he can do all of this things is not why we went to his owner's home in Canton.

We went because Norman is trying to get into the record books -- the Guinness Book of World Records. And if he can ride a scooter, unassisted, for 98 feet, he's in.

"I think he likes to be able to stand up and move and move quickly," owner Karen Cobb said.

Cobb said Norman has loved scooters since he was a pup, since they sat him on one and he started pushing off with his back foot. And this week, Norman will try to set the record.

Norman's attempt will be Friday, July 12 at All Tournament Players Park (ATPP) between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. He must ride 30 meters in less than 30 seconds.

To watch him practice on the street in front of his house is to witness a staggering sight.

"It's amazing," said Ferrell Wilkerson, who had to stop his car when he saw a dog cruising down the street on a scooter. Wilkerson was on the phone with a friend at the time. "I told him there was a dog riding a scooter. He thought I was crazy."

Neighbors come out of their houses with their iPhones recording, kids at the nearby pool shout "Norman!" and run to the fence to watch him pedal across the basketball court on his bike.

It's safe to say that when most people say "it's a dog's life," this is not what they mean.

But come Friday, this may be the story of this dog's life -- one that lands him in the record books.

"I never want to jinx myself but I'm hoping that we set it without any problems," Cobb said.

The event will raise money for Road Trip Home, a group that rescues animals from kill shelters.

Norman is a dog who loves to perform for an audience. He has already appeared on Cartoon Network, The Late Show with David Letterman, Inside Edition and Good Morning America. Currently he can be seen every week on the Hallmark Channel show "Who Let the Dogs Out?"